Friday, February 8, 2013

President
Barack Obama has started his second term by pushing forward proposals
on immigration and military benefits that recognize same-sex couples,
and he's spoken out in favor of the Boy Scouts of America allowing
openly gay members. These actions, along with the call for LGBT equality
included in Obama's inaugural address, have left some advocates
impressed with how the president has embraced much of their agenda.
"There are some times when I have to pinch myself," said one gay rights
activist and Obama donor. The Hill
(2/7)

PFLAG founder Jeanne Manford, who died last month
at the age of 92, will be posthumously honored with the Presidential
Citizens Medal, the second-highest honor the government gives a
civilian. Twelve others will receive the medal at an upcoming White
House ceremony. Paul Schindler reports at Gay City News:

When Manford died last month at the
age of 92, Jody Huckaby, PFLAG’s national executive director, said,
“Jeanne Manford proved the power of a single person to transform the
world. She paved the way for us to speak out for what is right, uniting
the unique parent, family, and ally voice with the voice of LGBT people
everywhere.” President Barack Obama will honor the Medal winners at a
White House ceremony on February 15. The recipients were announced on
February 8. Manford is only the second Citizens Medal recipient honored
for her work on LGBT causes. A 2011 Medal went to Janice K. Langbehn, a
lesbian who sued a Miami hospital after she and her three young children
were denied the right to visit her partner of 18 years, Lisa Marie
Pond, as she lay dying after suffering a brain aneurysm while on
vacation there in 2007. Despite having been told that they were in “an
anti-gay city and state” by a hospital official, Langbehn’s suit was
dismissed.

Others to receive the Presidential Citizens Medal have included Elizabeth Taylor, Colin Powell, and AIDS researcher David Ho.UPDATE: PFLAG has issued a statement.

“When Jeanne Manford publicly stood up
for her gay son in 1972, she had no idea that her actions would spark a
movement that would change the lives of so many individuals and
families,” said PFLAG National Executive Director Jody M. Huckaby. “It
started out as a simple act of love, but Jeanne’s legacy lives on, as
straight allies continue to stand alongside their LGBT loved ones,
united by their collective belief in a better—and more equal—tomorrow.
Her voice has been joined by millions of others who have raised their
voices and will continue to do so in support of acceptance, fairness,
and equality.” “I was able to share the news of this honor with my mom
before she left us and I only wish the President could have seen the
amazing smile that spread across her face,” said Suzanne Manford Swan,
daughter of the late Jeanne Manford. “My family is deeply touched by
this honor and to represent the PFLAG family values of love and
acceptance.”

Some of us are afraid to exhale. Same-sex marriage is before the Supreme Court.

Just as the election had the "swing-state factor," these two cases
have a swing vote: Justice Anthony Kennedy. Justice Kennedy was
nominated to the Supreme Court by President Ronald Reagan but has been
on the progressive side of two key LGBTQ cases, Romer v. Evans and Lawrence v. Texas.
Now, with the question of same-sex marriage before the Supreme Court,
Justice Kennedy, with the right decision, could eclipse the likes of
Barbra Streisand, Madonna and Lady Gaga as the greatest gilded eagle for
gay equality ever known.

Propaganda-like amicus briefs from the anti-gay community
seem to be papering the walls of the Supreme Court on a daily basis.
The Westboro Baptist Church, the Republicans of the House of
Representatives, the Catholic bishops... they all have one. Progressive
briefs are due in March.
I am just a gay dad.
We gay dads tend not to file amicus briefs. However, we do jot notes,
make lists and write letters. Sometimes we invite people to dinner. I
think that will tell him more than all the anti-gay briefs put
together.

The
brief elation we experience appeasing sensual impulses is very close to
what the drug addict feels when indulging his or her habit. Temporary
relief is soon followed by a craving for more. And in just the same way
that taking drugs in the end only causes trouble, so too does much of
what we undertake to fulfill our immediate sensory desires. We must
acknowledge that there can be no hope of gratifying the senses
permanently. At best, the happiness we derive from eating a good meal
can only last until the next time we are hungry.

Tricycle Daily DharmaFebruary 8, 2013

Our Shared Awakening

Nothing
is separate and alone. This is how things are. This is compassion, not
merely an extra something one of us feels for another, but existence
itself. Being is by its nature sharing and loving. And we realize this
not as a concept or a method we can work at and finally grasp, but as a
truth that we perceive through our mutual recognition, our mutual shared
awakening.

- Norman Fischer, "Revealing a World of Bliss"

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